How to become a human resources and industrial relations officer

Official title: Human resources and industrial relations officers

Also called: Hr officer, Staff officer, Labour officer, Vetting officer, Equality officer, Manpower officer, Staffing officer, Resource planner, Personnel officer, Employment officer, Equalities officer, Recruiting officer

Human resources and industrial relations officers conduct research, analyse data and advise on recruitment, training, staff appraisal and industrial relations policies and assist specialist managers with negotiations on behalf of a commercial enterprise, trade union or other organisation.

Main tasks

• Undertakes research and analyses data on pay differentials, productivity and efficiency bonuses and other payments
• Develops and recommends personnel and industrial relations policies, assists with their implementation and drafts staff handbooks
• Assists with negotiations between management and employees or trades unions concerning pay and conditions of employment
• Interviews candidates for jobs
• Advises on training and recruitment, negotiating procedures, salary agreements and other personnel and industrial relations issues
• Deals with grievance and disciplinary procedures, and with staff welfare and counselling provision

How to become one

There are no formal academic requirements although most entrants possess a degree or equivalent qualification and/or relevant experience. Many employers expect staff to gain membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development through study for professional qualifications. Vocational qualifications in this area are available at levels 2 to 7.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Employability practitioner (level 4). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0663.
• Apprenticeship (England): HR support (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0239.
• Apprenticeship (England): People professional (level 5). England. Typically 22 months. Skills England standard ST0238.
• University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
• University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £35,194 a year The middle half earn £29,116 to £43,735.
• About 167,600 people work in this job now, and about 175,300 are projected by 2035. (+4.6%)

Related jobs

• Careers advisers and vocational guidance specialists
• Information technology trainers
• Other vocational and industrial trainers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a human resources and industrial relations officer?

There are no formal academic requirements although most entrants possess a degree or equivalent qualification and/or relevant experience. Many employers expect staff to gain membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development through study for professional qualifications. Vocational qualifications in this area are available at levels 2 to 7.

How much does a human resources and industrial relations officer earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £35,194 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £29,116 to £43,735.

Is a human resources and industrial relations officer a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5% by 2035, from about 167,600 to about 175,300 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a human resources and industrial relations officer?

Not always. 56% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Arts & Humanities degrees; Business & Commerce degrees; Employability practitioner (level 4).

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.